Manufacturing Engineer (Precision Cleaning)

Department: Manufacturing

Location: Redondo Beach

Compensation: $100,000 - $160,000 / year

Description

As a Precision Cleaning Manufacturing Engineer at Impulse, you will be responsible for precision cleaning processes across all our spacecraft and hardware. In this critical role, you will research, develop, and define standards for cleanliness, perform destructive testing to prove these standards, purchase capital equipment, and design and develop new processing facilities. In an industry often defined by old standards, you will use science and engineering principals to develop requirements that work for Impulse’s propulsion systems.

Responsibilities

• Define cleanliness requirements for Oxygen-rich systems (i.e. nitrous oxide, LOx) through aggressive data-oriented R&D, in collaboration with propulsion teams
• Design, build, and activate cleaning cells for hardware such as COPV’s, tubes, and machined components. Own factory layouts including material movement, build process flows, and facilities requirements.
• Define in-line cleaning requirements and processes for large hardware, such as for our Helios kick stage vehicle
• Act as the specification custodian and subject matter expert for precision cleaning requirements, processes, and inspections
• Define best-in-class solvents for various substrates, cleanliness requirements, and contamination requirements
• Define clean hardware handling and packaging requirements for flight hardware
• Provide technical guidance to outside vendors and support supply chain development
• Optimize and accelerate precision cleaning processes for high-volume hardware
• Update designs, manufacturing processes, and documentation to support continuous improvement
• Support manufacturing capital projects, including new facility activations, automation efforts and new capability development
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, materials science, or related field
• Demonstrate experience in developing manufacturing processes
• Experience working in a hardware development environment
• 2 years of demonstrated hands-on manufacturing experience
  
  

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Masters' degree in an engineering discipline
• 7 years' of demonstrated hands-on manufacturing experience within aerospace or related industry working with cleanliness-sensitive structures
• Previous experience working within a start-up
• 4 years' of demonstrated experience with clean lines/precision cleaning
• Familiarity with liquid propellants such as liquid oxygen, nitrous oxide, ethane, and methane
• Demonstrated knowledge of ISO 14644 cleanroom standards and NASA/JPL contamination-control guidelines
• Experience with IEST STD CC1246E (Particle Count & NVR), NASA MSFC-164 (Cleanliness and Packaging standards for spacecraft), ASTM G-93 (Ox-rich standards)
  

Additional Information:

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.